Published: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 10:53 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — Two weeks ago, a water pipe broke at an oceanside motel and by the time the water was turned off two hours later so much had been pumped out the damage was spread around several floors.

Not long after the deluge at the Desert Inn Motel on North Atlantic Avenue, complaints from guests started flooding into the city's code enforcement division. When code officers took a look around, in addition to fresh water damage they found spots on the roof that needed repairs, cracks in walls, exposed wiring, light fixtures without bulbs and a powerful stench of mold and mildew in some rooms.

As city code enforcement head Hector Garcia got to thinking about the thousands of tourists about to pour into town for races at Daytona International Speedway, Bike Week and Spring Break, he decided all motels and hotels along Atlantic Avenue could stand a thorough inspection.

So that's what Garcia and his officers started doing last week, going property to property along the beachside road that cuts through the heart of the core tourist district, looking for problems that need correcting.

"After getting constant complaints about motels I wanted to spearhead it, especially with the races and everything coming up," Garcia said. "I get lots of complaints this time of year."

"The Desert Inn piqued everybody's curiosity," Chitwood said. "We've been meaning to do it anyway. We did the same thing a few years ago."

Garcia decided to start only with motels along Atlantic Avenue because those were the properties generating the bulk of code complaints. He expects that sweep to wrap up Monday or Tuesday, and then his seven officers will have their hands full with big races at the Speedway and Bike Week in early March.

He said sometime after Bike Week he'll send his full team of officers back out to work their way through all the hotels on Atlantic.

Eventually he'll also do hotel and motel inspections on Ridgewood Avenue, he said.

Last week code officers started at the north end of A1A and they've been moving south, completing inspections on about two dozen motels so far. When the code officials are out checking properties they're accompanied by the building inspector, fire marshal and a police officer, Garcia said.

Results so far have been mixed.

"There were a couple that were in pristine shape and several had problems," Garcia said. "We found dilapidated doors, junk outside, leaking roofs. Some had improper locks on pools, peeling paint, rust on exterior surfaces, cracked windows, storage of materials outside."

Very few properties had no problems at all, but some violations were minor, he said.

Even owners of closed motels are being reminded that they're responsible for keeping up their properties.

The owner of one establishment was not happy with her experience with code enforcement after she was cited for multiple violations, Garcia and Chitwood said.

"She said we were targeting mom and pop motels," Garcia said. "I explained to her repeatedly that's not our objective."

The city's not trying to put anyone out of business, Garcia said.

"If they fix the problem they won't be fined," he said. "We give them time to correct the violation. As long as we see progress we'll extend the time."

On the flip side, some motel owners are quickly complying without protest. One motel owner is already painting and he quickly removed some outside storage he forgot about, Garcia said.

"He corrected it," Garcia said. "That's what we want ... The point is to beautify the beachside and make tourists want to stay in these facilities."

Bina Patel, manager of the Beachside Budget Inn at 1717 N. Atlantic Ave., was already inspected and she said she didn't take issue with the visit.

"It's a good idea," Patel said.

Shanta Jay, manager of the Daytona Shore Inn at 805 N. Atlantic Ave., also thinks the sweep is a good idea, as does Jason Reader, general manager of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.

"I think it's a great idea from a quality standpoint," Reader said. "We all live and die by the destination. I'm glad they're starting to enforce the code."

Because of a complaint about the Hilton several months ago code already checked that hotel and "there was nothing there," Garcia said.

Some Atlantic Avenue hotels and motels have also been a source of problems for nearby residents with noise, especially during Spring Break, said City Commissioner Pam Woods. But some are good neighbors, said Woods, whose zone includes part of the beachside.

"It varies from property to property," she said. "Some owners take real pride in their motels and take care of them."

In addition to the code violations that plague some beachside motels are the crime problems some have generated, Woods said. Some are haunts for drug dealers and prostitutes who meet up with customers in the neighborhoods to escape the spotlight of the well-traveled Atlantic Avenue and then slip into hotel and motel rooms, she said.

The hookers and drug dealers also commit some burglaries and other crimes in the neighborhoods, she said. Overall, Woods doesn't see as much progress with beachside motels and hotels as she would have liked in the 20 or so years she's lived in Daytona Beach.

"Hotels and motels are a huge part of what's dragging down the beachside," Woods said. "It spills into the neighborhoods."

A code enforcement crackdown that was dubbed Daytona Proud began two years ago, but the citywide effort has since fizzled because the number of code officers dropping from 12 to seven has spread them too thin, Garcia said.

That smaller team fielded 4,500 code complaints in 2012 and closed out 4,200 of them, he said.

But targeted sweeps like the one going on along Atlantic Avenue can still attack problem areas, he said.

<p>DAYTONA BEACH &mdash; Two weeks ago, a water pipe broke at an oceanside motel and by the time the water was turned off two hours later so much had been pumped out the damage was spread around several floors. </p><p>Not long after the deluge at the Desert Inn Motel on North Atlantic Avenue, complaints from guests started flooding into the city's code enforcement division. When code officers took a look around, in addition to fresh water damage they found spots on the roof that needed repairs, cracks in walls, exposed wiring, light fixtures without bulbs and a powerful stench of mold and mildew in some rooms. </p><p>As city code enforcement head Hector Garcia got to thinking about the thousands of tourists about to pour into town for races at Daytona International Speedway, Bike Week and Spring Break, he decided all motels and hotels along Atlantic Avenue could stand a thorough inspection. </p><p>So that's what Garcia and his officers started doing last week, going property to property along the beachside road that cuts through the heart of the core tourist district, looking for problems that need correcting. </p><p>"After getting constant complaints about motels I wanted to spearhead it, especially with the races and everything coming up," Garcia said. "I get lots of complaints this time of year." </p><p>Police Chief Mike Chitwood, who oversees code enforcement, agrees with Garcia's push. </p><p>"The Desert Inn piqued everybody's curiosity," Chitwood said. "We've been meaning to do it anyway. We did the same thing a few years ago." </p><p>Garcia decided to start only with motels along Atlantic Avenue because those were the properties generating the bulk of code complaints. He expects that sweep to wrap up Monday or Tuesday, and then his seven officers will have their hands full with big races at the Speedway and Bike Week in early March. </p><p>He said sometime after Bike Week he'll send his full team of officers back out to work their way through all the hotels on Atlantic. </p><p>Eventually he'll also do hotel and motel inspections on Ridgewood Avenue, he said. </p><p>Last week code officers started at the north end of A1A and they've been moving south, completing inspections on about two dozen motels so far. When the code officials are out checking properties they're accompanied by the building inspector, fire marshal and a police officer, Garcia said. </p><p>Results so far have been mixed. </p><p>"There were a couple that were in pristine shape and several had problems," Garcia said. "We found dilapidated doors, junk outside, leaking roofs. Some had improper locks on pools, peeling paint, rust on exterior surfaces, cracked windows, storage of materials outside." </p><p>Very few properties had no problems at all, but some violations were minor, he said. </p><p>Even owners of closed motels are being reminded that they're responsible for keeping up their properties. </p><p>The owner of one establishment was not happy with her experience with code enforcement after she was cited for multiple violations, Garcia and Chitwood said. </p><p>"She said we were targeting mom and pop motels," Garcia said. "I explained to her repeatedly that's not our objective." </p><p>The city's not trying to put anyone out of business, Garcia said. </p><p>"If they fix the problem they won't be fined," he said. "We give them time to correct the violation. As long as we see progress we'll extend the time." </p><p>On the flip side, some motel owners are quickly complying without protest. One motel owner is already painting and he quickly removed some outside storage he forgot about, Garcia said. </p><p>"He corrected it," Garcia said. "That's what we want ... The point is to beautify the beachside and make tourists want to stay in these facilities." </p><p>Bina Patel, manager of the Beachside Budget Inn at 1717 N. Atlantic Ave., was already inspected and she said she didn't take issue with the visit. </p><p>"It's a good idea," Patel said. </p><p>Shanta Jay, manager of the Daytona Shore Inn at 805 N. Atlantic Ave., also thinks the sweep is a good idea, as does Jason Reader, general manager of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. </p><p>"I think it's a great idea from a quality standpoint," Reader said. "We all live and die by the destination. I'm glad they're starting to enforce the code." </p><p>Because of a complaint about the Hilton several months ago code already checked that hotel and "there was nothing there," Garcia said. </p><p>Some Atlantic Avenue hotels and motels have also been a source of problems for nearby residents with noise, especially during Spring Break, said City Commissioner Pam Woods. But some are good neighbors, said Woods, whose zone includes part of the beachside. </p><p>"It varies from property to property," she said. "Some owners take real pride in their motels and take care of them." </p><p>In addition to the code violations that plague some beachside motels are the crime problems some have generated, Woods said. Some are haunts for drug dealers and prostitutes who meet up with customers in the neighborhoods to escape the spotlight of the well-traveled Atlantic Avenue and then slip into hotel and motel rooms, she said. </p><p>The hookers and drug dealers also commit some burglaries and other crimes in the neighborhoods, she said. Overall, Woods doesn't see as much progress with beachside motels and hotels as she would have liked in the 20 or so years she's lived in Daytona Beach. </p><p>"Hotels and motels are a huge part of what's dragging down the beachside," Woods said. "It spills into the neighborhoods." </p><p>A code enforcement crackdown that was dubbed Daytona Proud began two years ago, but the citywide effort has since fizzled because the number of code officers dropping from 12 to seven has spread them too thin, Garcia said. </p><p>That smaller team fielded 4,500 code complaints in 2012 and closed out 4,200 of them, he said. </p><p>But targeted sweeps like the one going on along Atlantic Avenue can still attack problem areas, he said.</p>